title: Maternal haematocrit in labour is related to fetal cord pH at delivery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether a correlation exists between maternal haematocrit in labour and umbilical cord pH values at delivery.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The delivery suite.
  
  
  METHODS
  200 pregnant women in labour.
  
  
  METHODS
  Umbilical artery and vein blood pH values.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A statistically significant inverse correlation was observed between maternal haematocrit levels during labour and umbilical vein pH (r = -0.22; P = 0.001) and umbilical artery pH (r = -0.18; P = 0.008) at delivery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although an inverse correlation does appear to exist between maternal haematocrit and cord pH values, it is unlikely that this weak association will prove to be of clinical value in the management of labour.
authors.affiliation: Northern General Hospital, Sheffield.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Spiby
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Patel
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000502:physiology*; D006400:Hematocrit; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy